31:
70:
728:
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149:). This speculation is based on the historic cost of bronze and the level of skill necessary to cast such an object. Some 19th-century antiquarians speculated that they might be weapons, such as the head of a mace or a metal bullet, but other scholars have suggested that the dodecahedra are too light to make an effective weapon.
81:
The first dodecahedron was found in 1739. Since then, at least 130 similar objects have been found in
Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, but not in the Roman heartland in Italy. In 2023, a dodecahedron in excellent condition
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Several dodecahedra were found in coin hoards, suggesting either that their owners considered them valuable objects, or that their use was connected with coins — as, for example, for easily checking coins fit a certain diameter and were not clipped. It has been suggested that they might have been
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No mention of dodecahedrons has been found in contemporary accounts or pictures of the time. Speculative uses include as a survey instrument for estimating distances to (or sizes of) distant objects, though this is questioned as there are no markings to indicate that they would be a mathematical
126:
devices for making gloves (though the earliest known reference to spool knitting is from 1535, and this would neither explain the use of bronze, nor the apparently similar icosahedron which is missing the holes necessary for spool knitting); as part of a child's toy; or for decorative purposes.
30:
432:
Die
Strassburger tucher- und weberzunft: Urkunden und darstellung nebst regesten und glossar. Ein beitrag zur geschichte der deutschen weberei und des deutschen gewerberechts vom XIII.-XVII. jahrhundert
57:
shape with twelve flat pentagonal faces. Each face has a circular hole of varying diameter in the middle, the holes connecting to the hollow center, and each corner has a protruding knob.
429:
von
Schmoller, Gustav (1879). "67. Rathsentscheidung in einem Streite der Tuchersunft und der Zunft zum Spiegel. dass das Hosenstricker-Handwerk ze der erstern gehöre. 1535.".
61:
dodecahedra date from the 2nd to 4th centuries AD and their purpose remains unknown. They rarely show signs of wear, and do not have any inscribed numbers or letters.
772:
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803:
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religious artifacts, or even fortune-telling devices. This latter speculation is based on the fact that most of the examples have been found in
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69:
813:
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139:, perhaps as part of a portfolio to demonstrate their capabilities to customers or as a way to qualify for a certain status in a
465:
157:
Smaller dodecahedra with the same features (holes and knobs) and made from gold have been found in South-East Asia along the
553:
Greiner, Bernhard A. (1996). "Römische
Dodekaeder: Untersuchungen zur Typologie, Herstellung, Verbreitung, und Funktion".
110:
74:
765:
808:
95:
35:
733:
612:
Malleret, Louis (1961). "Les dodecaedres d'or du site d'Oc-eo" [The gold dodecohedrons from the Oc-eo site].
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has also been discovered after having long been misclassified as a dodecahedron. This icosahedron was excavated near
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and the earliest items appear to be from the Roman epoch. Examples include those uncovered in
135:
sites. It has also been suggested that they might have been an object to test the skill of a
664:
655:
Xiong, Zhaoming (2014). "The Hepu Han tombs and the maritime Silk Road of the Han
Dynasty".
621:
525:
408:
Sparavigna, A. (2012). "Roman dodecahedron as dioptron: Analysis of freely available data".
257:
214:
333:
174:
169:, who concluded that the objects represented the influence of Mediterranean trade on the
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329:"Amateur archaeologist discovers bizarre Roman object that has baffled for centuries"
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Instances range in size from 4 to 11 centimetres (1.6 to 4.3 in). A Roman
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302:"The Mysterious Bronze Objects that Have Baffled Archaeologists for Centuries"
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was created from a revision of this article dated 29 August 2019
17:
162:
90:, UK, bringing the total to 33 of such objects found on the territory of
248:
Hill, Christopher (1994). "Gallo-Roman
Dodecahedra: A Progress Report".
641:
490:
Knitting technology : a comprehensive handbook and practical guide
597:
Kilford, L.J.P. (December 2004). "A mathematical tourist in
Germany".
106:
625:
205:
Guggenberger, Michael (2013-10-03). "The Gallo-Roman
Dodecahedron".
414:
356:"Roman dodecahedron that baffled experts stays on show in Lincoln"
170:
146:
68:
29:
773:"History Mystery: Ancient Dodecahedron's Purpose Remains Secret"
173:. Similar decorative gold dodecahedrons have been found in the
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is a small hollow object made of copper alloy which has been
714:
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was found by amateur archeologists in the small village of
213:(4). Springer Science and Business Media LLC: 56–60.
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Two dodecahedra and an icosahedron on display in the
663:(342). Cambridge University Press (CUP): 1229–1243.
460:(U.S. ed.). Loveland, Colo.: Interweave Press.
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109:in Germany and is currently on display in the
256:. Cambridge University Press (CUP): 289–292.
34:Roman bronze dodecahedron found in Tongeren,
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775:by Alexandria Hein, Fox News, June 10, 2011
492:(3rd ed.). Lancaster, Pa.: Technomic.
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435:. Strassburg: Verlag von Karl J. Trübner
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384:Euclid – the creation of mathematics
387:. New York: Springer. p. 303.
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516:Bennett, Anna T.N. (2009-12-31).
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300:Metcalfe, Tom (August 6, 2018).
804:1739 archaeological discoveries
518:"Gold in early Southeast Asia"
327:Stavrou, A (20 January 2024).
207:The Mathematical Intelligencer
1:
789:Archaeological artefact types
94:. It is on exhibition at the
75:Rheinisches Landesmuseum Bonn
96:Lincoln Museum, Lincolnshire
36:Gallo-Roman Museum, Tongeren
557:(in German). pp. 9–44.
531:10.4000/archeosciences.2072
524:(33). OpenEdition: 99–107.
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488:Spencer, David J. (2001).
457:A History of Hand Knitting
669:10.1017/s0003598x0011542x
570:Religion in Roman Britain
262:10.1017/s0003581500024458
219:10.1007/s00283-013-9403-7
27:Small dodecahedral object
814:Ancient Roman technology
111:Rheinisches Landesmuseum
47:Gallo-Roman dodecahedron
794:Culture of ancient Rome
620:(3–4). JSTOR: 343–350.
555:Carnuntum Jahrbuch 1995
381:Artmann, Benno (1999).
250:The Antiquaries Journal
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702:Listen to this article
568:Henig, Martin (1984).
454:Rutt, Richard (1987).
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768:at Wikimedia Commons
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98:until October 2024.
55:regular dodecahedral
809:Gallo-Roman culture
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